The upcoming U.S. tour of Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is on hold.

The production was to have played the Fisher Theatre in Detroit in September. A spokesman for the producing Araca Group said the road show would now probably not go out until January 2004. The main reason for the delay was casting. Producers had hoped to nab a couple name stars for the tour, but have as yet not been able to secure personalities with the desired box-office appeal. No actors have been named as possibilities. All that is known at this point is that the marquee won't feature any of the headliners seen on Broadway, including original stars, Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci, or their replacements, Rosie Perez and Joe Pantoliano.

Frankie and Johnny, which had its premiere Off-Broadway in the mid-80s (and was later a film), is about a world-weary diner waitress and short-order cook and their last-ditch effort to find love in a disappointing world. Classical music on the radio, post-coital meal making and guarded hearts are part of the hard-edged romantic comedy.

The Broadway production was a surprise hit, with Falco and Tucci's star power helping the outing recoup its investment in speedy fashion. Perez and Pantoliano proved less of an audience magnet. The show closed on March 9 at the Belasco Theatre.